The Cuatro
by Kissing The Lipless
Summary: Summer and Marissa think they've found a way to get over Seth and Ryan...until they find themselves in a place they'd never imagined. SS RM. Set in the summer between Seasons 1 & 2.


AN: Haven't written anything in a while, so this may be a bit rusty. I'm also looking for a beta, so if you'd like to help, let me know. Oh, and the title relates, but is sort of an inside joke between a few of my friends and I, so sorry about that...

The Cuatro

_I could tell from the minute I woke up_

_It was gonna be a lonely lonely lonely lonely day_

_Rise and shine_

_Rub the sleep out from my eyes_

_Try to tell myself I can't go back to bed_

_It's gonna be a lonely lonely lonely day_

_Even though the sun is shining down on me_

_And I should feel about as happy as can be_

_I just got here_

_I already want to leave_

_It's gonna be a lonely lonely lonely lonely day_

_Everybody knows that something's wrong_

_But nobody knows whets going on_

_We all sing the same old song_

_When you want it all to go away_

_It's shaping up to be a lonely day_

_I could tell from the minute I woke up_

_It was gonna be a lonely lonely lonely lonely day_

_-Lonely Day by Phantom Planet_

* * *

Summer Roberts woke up to a pounding headache. She groaned aloud and slowly swung her legs to the side of the bed. Another day, another hangover, she thought bitterly. Oh, well. She could be worse. She could be like Marissa.

She made a face and grabbed the bottle of Advil sitting on her bedside table. She swallowed two pills dry and then stood up, heading to the shower.

The truth was, since the summer had begun, she and Marissa had been way out of control. They hadn't gone back to attending Holly's infamous daily beach parties, but they had been using their fake IDs way more than usual. Summer wasn't nearly as bad as her friend; she was usually appointed the designated driver for the pair and limited herself to one or two drinks when they went to clubs. She wasn't sure, however, what she was going to do about Marissa. The slender girl insisted she was fine, but without Ryan she had gone way down, binging on alcohol every night, skipping meals, bursting into tears in the middle of Fashion Island...Summer had long since grown used to Marissa's unpredictable habits. She'd always been the strong one anyway.

Some nights, though, like the night before, they would just stay home. Summer would bring a bottle of wine, vodka, or whatever she was sure her stepmom wouldn't miss that night, and they would lie out by Marissa's pool all night. Their roles were reversed those times; Summer usually ended up sad or bitter about Seth and Marissa seemed to calm down, comforting her best friend instead of the other way around. Summer wasn't the best at handling her alcohol and she would usually end up slurring out confessions about how she had thought Seth was the one, how she trusted him more than anyone, and how she couldn't believe he had left her just like everyone else had before him.

Summer chose to block those nights from her memory.

She stepped out of the shower ten minutes later, feeling slightly refreshed. She squinted at the clock, and realized with a jolt that it was already one fifteen.

"Shit, shit, shit," she mumbled to herself, searching frantically for her cell phone. Two missed calls. Of course. "Coop!" she cried when Marissa finally answered.

"Hey, where are you? I've been sitting by myself for, like, thirty minutes."

"I'm so, so, so sorry, Coop, I overslept and then didn't know what time it was until I got out of the shower. Forgive me?"

Marissa sighed dramatically. "I suppose. Get your butt down here soon, though, okay?"

"Give me ten minutes." Summer flipped her phone shut and grabbed the nearest bikini and a clean pair of shorts. She grabbed her purse and shoes and ran out the door.

By the time she got to the Crab Shack, Marissa was looking irritated. Summer slid into the opposite side of the booth, wincing at the glare she was receiving.

"I know, I know, second time this week. I can't help it that you're five minutes early everywhere and I just happen to be a bit slower!"

"I just feel stupid being here alone. The waitress thinks I got stood up and she's been giving me these horrible sympathy looks for the past half hour." Marissa rolled her eyes. "But don't worry about it. It's my fault you were so tired this morning anyways."

Summer raised her eyebrows meaningfully. "So true. You insisted we skinny dip in the ocean--not even your private pool, might I add--at two in the morning. You are the weirdest drunk ever, Coop."

Marissa grinned. "Sorry about that. I don't really remember why I suggested that."

"I think you wanted to 'commune with nature'. Whatever the hell that means." Summer took a sip of the water the server had brought them and picked up the menu. "Anyways, have you ordered yet?"

"Yep. I got you crab cakes."

"Perfect. You're forgiven too. So, I have the perfect idea for this weekend," she began enthusiastically.

"Yeah?"

"A road trip!" Summer announced, bouncing in her seat with excitement.

Marissa looked dubious. "To where?"

"Anywhere you want. Besides Tijuana," she added quickly. "But I do think maybe we need to get out of California."

"I guess."

"Oh come on Coop, get excited! It's just the thing we need. After all, don't you just wanna escape Newport?"

Marissa looked a bit more convinced. "Yeah, yeah. That sounds good, actually."

"Great! So I think we should leave tomorrow, drive north, stop where we want, eat where we want, sleep where we want, do what we want. Then, when we feel like it, we'll turn around and drive home the same way we came," Summer declared.

"So we wouldn't have, like, a plan?"

"Duh, Coop, that's the point. It's spontaneous!"

"Oh..." Marissa frowned thoughtfully and took a sip of her soda. Gradually, her face broke into a small smile. "You know what? That sounds amazing!"

---

Summer made Marissa promise to call her after she talked to her mom and then the two girls each drove home to begin packing.

Okay, clothes for maybe eight days? Summer mused as she surveyed her closet. She could always wash them again if they stayed longer, after all. Okay, so two pairs of jeans, five pairs of shorts, four skirts, at least eight tops... She grabbed her biggest duffel bag and threw everything into it before heading into the bathroom to grab everything she'd need from there--Shit. She stopped dead in her tracks as she realized where she had left her travel makeup bag.

La casa de Cohen.

She sighed angrily and grabbed her purse again. It wasn't that bad, she told herself. Seth wouldn't be there. Maybe Kirsten and Sandy wouldn't either, and Rosa would just let her in so she could grab it without anyone ever knowing she was there.

When she pulled up in the driveway ten minutes later, however, she cringed. Both the elder Cohens' cars were in the driveway, meaning she couldn't get around them. She had done her best to avoid the couple since that day a month ago when they had called her and told her she had better come over as soon as possible. Summer had walked into the house to tearstained faces and a letter full of empty excuses that weren't even worth mentioning.

She parked her car and steeled her nerves as she walked up to the door. She tapped her foot nervously as she waited for someone to open the door.

"Summer!" Sandy greeted her in surprise as he swung open the door.

"Hey, Mr. Cohen. I left some things in Seth's room, do you think I could run up and grab them? I'm going out of town, or else I wouldn't bother you." Summer offered him a small smile.

"Of course, come on in. Are you hungry? Thirsty? We've got some leftover Chinese in the fridge," he offered.

"Oh, I'm alright. Thanks, though." Sandy nodded and waved her up the stairs.

Summer took a deep breath and walked into Seth's room. Everything looked exactly the same, although someone had obviously been in to clean it recently. Something sitting on his desk caught her eye as she walked towards the bathroom.

"Captain Oats," she remarked quietly as she picked up the plastic horse. "He left you behind, too."

She frowned in confusion as she realized Captain Oats had been resting on top of a photograph. Looking closely, she saw that it was a picture of her, Seth, Ryan, and Marissa that had been taken at the beach a few months ago. Everyone looked so happy, so carefree, that she couldn't help but miss the days when everything had been so much simpler.

She heard a knock on the door just as she was setting the toy back down and turned around to see Kirsten.

"Hi Summer." She smiled sadly at the girl, looking sort of uncomfortable, like she hadn't been in Seth's room since he left either.

"Oh, hey Mrs. Cohen. I was just, um, gonna grab my makeup bag..."

"Oh, that's alright. It's nice to have someone besides me and Sandy and all these construction workers in the house actually. Are you sure you won't stay for a soda or something?" Kirsten looked so lonely that Summer didn't have the heart to say no.

"I'd love to, actually. I'll be right down after I get my stuff." Summer flashed her the biggest smile she could manage as Kirsten headed back to the kitchen.

Summer sighed and found her makeup bag in the bathroom. She lingered a moment longer, taking in everything one last time before walking back downstairs.

She found Kirsten in the kitchen unloading groceries and quickly offered to help.

"Oh thanks Summer. Grab a soda if you want, they're in the fridge already. I don't know where Sandy disappeared to, he was supposed to be helping," she gestured towards the mess of construction on the other side of the room. "It's been so crazy around here lately that he's probably hiding out in his office or something."

Summer nodded companionably as she threw away a few empty bags and then took a drink from the fridge. "How long is the remodel supposed to take?"

Kirsten rolled her eyes. "I have no idea. The contractor is a bit eccentric. He keeps saying it'll be done in a few more weeks but I'm afraid it's gonna take all summer. Anyway, Sandy said you mentioned you were going out of town?"

"Oh yeah! Well, Coop and I have been in such crappy moods lately--" she winced as she realized Kirsten would know exactly why. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's okay, I understand," Kirsten insisted. She offered her a bittersweet smile. "I haven't exactly been too happy either."

Summer made a face. "Well, anyways, I just thought we needed a break, you know? So we are going on a road trip, a real one. No plan, no itinerary, no destination. Just wherever we want to go, however we want to go."

Kirsten smiled. "Now that sounds like fun. Newport can be suffocating sometimes--well, a lot of times." The two were quiet for a minute as they put away the last of the groceries.

"You know, Summer," Kirsten turned towards her when they were finished and sighed. "You really don't deserve this. I am so, so sorry."

Summer's heart broke for her. "You don't either. I, uh.... I know what it feels like to have an empty house." She offered her a small smile. "Hey, it can only get better, right?"

Kirsten looked on the verge of tears. "Thanks, sweetie."

Summer hugged her quickly before grabbing her bag and heading out. "Thanks, Mrs. Cohen. I'll see you around."

She walked out of the Cohens' feeling more than a little angry at Seth. He had screwed over more than just her, she recalled furiously. She had first realized how much the two boys' departures--one justified, one selfish and irresponsible--had hurt their parents when she had come over after they found her letter, but seeing their mother, who was usually one of the strongest people she knew, had been a shock.

Whatever, she told herself as she slammed her door shut and backed out of the driveway. Screw him. She had the whole summer to forget she had ever even spoken to him last year.

---

"Coop! What did your mom say?"

"Not very enthusiastic at first, but I think she'll be glad to get rid of me. Apparently she thinks I need an attitude adjustment and she's hoping if she lets me do this it will 'help the two of us repair our relationship'. Whatever. I'm just happy to get away from her and Caleb!"

"Great! Are you all packed?"

"Yep. You?"

"Pretty much. Okay, here's the plan; we'll take my car, so how about I pick you up at eight, we can get breakfast at Starbucks, and then head out?"

"Sounds good. Do you have a map of California? We don't have to have a destination but we should at least know where we are."

"Uh...do you have a map?"

"Don't worry, I'll find one. So, see you at eight?"

"Definitely."

---

"God, Coop, how much luggage did you bring?!"

Marissa smirked as she opened the trunk of Summer's car. "About half as much as you should."

Summer grimaced. "Okay, fine, but yours is heavier."

Marissa laughed and threw another of her bags into the car. "So we're hitting Starbucks on the way out right?"

"Are you kidding? It's eight in the morning, I'm definitely going to need caffeine if I'll be driving anytime soon."

Julie Cooper appeared at the door, looking less than thrilled. "Marissa? Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

Marissa rolled her eyes and walked over to her mother. "Bye, Mom."

Julie frowned and kissed her reluctant daughter on the cheek. "Be careful, girls."

"Oh, don't worry Mrs. Cooper--" Summer began.

"It's Mrs. Nichol now, actually." Julie glared at her daughter's friend.

Summer offered her a fake smile. "Right. Well, Mrs. Nichol, Marissa's in safe hands. After all, I've only been in, like, three wrecks!"

Marissa grinned and hopped into the passenger seat as Summer started the car, waving to her alarmed mother. "I love pissing off my mother."

"Well, for the next week or however long we want, we don't have to worry about parents, boys, life, or anything. This trip is just about us!" Summer declared.

Marissa leaned back and closed her eyes. "Sounds like heaven."

"Actually, I do have one thing to say involving boys--sort of," she hesitated as Marissa sat up and frowned curiously. "Guess where I went last night?"

"Where?" Marissa asked suspiciously.

Summer sighed. "The Cohens. I had to pick up a few things I'd left when I was with--well, the last time I was there, and I talked to Kirsten for a while."

"How is she?" Marissa asked sympathetically.

"Not good," Summer replied darkly. "She looked miserable, even if she was trying to hide it."

"That must be horrible," Marissa said softly. "I know we're having a bad time with this too, but she lost both her sons."

The girls were quiet for a minute.

"Well, at least we have each other, right?" Summer grinned brightly at her friend, although her smile seemed a bit false.

Marissa nodded. "Right. We'll just have to stick together."

* * *

_END_. Any thoughts? Please review! It's been a while since I've written anything…you can also reach me at 


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